


i'm in love with the shape of you (we push and pull like a magnet do)

by everythings_fine



Category: Supercat - Fandom, Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Drabbles, Eventual Fluff, F/F, Flashbacks, PTSD, alternate ending to medusa, kara's ptsd, literally been working on this for a year, one shots, supercat
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-19
Updated: 2017-07-27
Packaged: 2018-12-04 01:17:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,027
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11544408
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/everythings_fine/pseuds/everythings_fine
Summary: Starting a collection of SuperCat one-shots I've been too afraid to post. Here goes nothing...





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Summary: Project Medusa ends with a final showdown between Kara and Astra. Cat pulls a Cat and tries to intervene. It doesn't go exactly as planned.

She’d been fighting for nearly 16 hours. National City, her home, was under attack. Innocent lives were at stake and it was her job to save them— all of them. At least, that’s what she told herself. Battle after battle, rebel after rebel. The DEO had expended all of its agents, but they were only human; not even Henshaw— AKA J'onn J’onzz, the last Martian— could stand against the heavily trained troops of Krypton. She was the only one who could put a stop to this— she always had been. She knew what she had to do, what everyone feared she wasn’t strong enough to. As much as Supergirl wanted to prove them wrong, she wasn’t sure that was possible. 

 

When the rest of the Kryptonian army was either deceased or detained, a decision was made. A ceasefire was called, though not by the reigning commander, but by Cat Grant. Appearing live on every screen in National City, the media mogul addressed the terrified citizens, as well as the mysterious villain responsible for such destruction. 

 

“Whoever you are, you have our attention. You want your voice to be heard, well, we’re listening. You’ve got a captive audience,” Ms. Grant said calmly. “If it’s your story you want everyone to know, I can make that happen. All you have to do is come to my office. I’m not going anywhere. And not just because one of your men torched my Mercedes.” As her voice rang out through the deserted streets and vacant stores, and as she stared down her National City’s invisible adversary, she prayed with all of her might that this plan of hers would work. 

 

It was only a matter of seconds before a woman with a streak of silver in her brunette hair appeared above the balcony of Cat Co. Worldwide. The double doors blew open and a cold breeze sent a shiver down the spine of the most influential mortal as she stood up from her desk. Her heart was racing and her palms clammy. A good journalist gets the job done. A better journalist sees beyond it, she reminded herself.

 

Sizing up the mysterious figure before her, Cat rolled her shoulders back and pursed her lips together. “I’ve always said we needed more women in the villain business.” 

 

“You must be a very foolish or a very brave human to step forward.” 

 

“I prefer bitchy, witty, and intelligent, but hey, what does Barbara Walters know?” Cat quipped, her shoulder-length curls bouncing giddily as strutted away from the comfort of her throne and towards the uncertainty that the outside held. 

 

In a cold and unfeeling tone, the woman with silver hair said, “My niece will be here soon.” Hovering above the concrete terrace, she observed the mortal before her. “I suspect you already knew that.” 

 

“If Supergirl wishes to grace us with her clumsy and ill-timed presence, then so be it. You’re the one I wanted to talk to.” As if to prove how serious she was, Cat held up a pad of paper and a pen, something she hadn’t done in nearly a decade. She gestured to the chairs across from her and pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose.“Have a seat. I imagine terrorizing an entire city is rather draining.” 

 

The stranger didn’t budge, let alone blink. “I do not trust your kind.” 

 

“Neither do I,” Cat shrugged. “So, tell me. Why do you want to get rid of my ‘kind?’ Other than the fact that we clearly have a very different fashion sense. No one here could pull off an-all black diving suit.” 

 

A sharp whirring sound echoed through the skies and distracted Cat just long enough for Supergirl to swoop in and lock her behind the double doors. “Stay inside,” she ordered. 

 

Worn from the ceaseless combat and weakened from the sun’s absence, Supergirl puffed out her chest courageously as she came face-to-face with her last surviving family member. 

 

“You seem tired, Little One. Perhaps it is time that you surrender before you too are hurt.” 

 

Supergirl shook her head firmly. The hand-stitched S she bore so proudly rose and and fell as she anxiously breathed in and out. “Not as long as you keep hurting innocent people.” 

 

Astra finally descended and planted her feet on the sturdy veranda. One step after another, she closed in on Supergirl until they were just inches apart from one another. They were the same height, and yet, Astra seemed so much bigger. “After all that you have witnessed, you would continue to fight for them?”

 

“They’re not the enemy, Aunt Astra. If you would just listen—” 

 

“You were born of Krypton, Kara. You have seen what they do to us.” Astra lifted her head and motioned towards Cat, who was watching intently from the window. “These humans— they allow fear to control their actions. And what they fear, they kill; just as they did Non.” There was a brief hint of humanity in Astra’s remarks, hidden behind the thirst for revenge, a sadness that Kara recognized all-too well. 

 

But Kara was smarter than to allow her own emotions to cloud her judgement. Clenching her jaw, she defended the regretful incident. “He was going to kill Alex.” 

 

“She is not your blood, Kara! I am!” 

 

As she stood there, desperately trying not to cower beneath her only aunt’s imposing glower, Kara felt the words spill from her before she’d even completed her thought.“But you’re not my family.” 

 

Astra’s eyes narrowed angrily and for a second, Kara could have sworn she saw a flicker of green. Without warning, Astra grazed her niece’s cheek with her knuckles and let out a disappointed sigh.“You are much like your mother, Little One,” she lamented. “She too was blinded by optimism and faith. And she died because of her foolishness… as will you.” 

 

Kara’s gaze fell upon on a glowing object. Designed like a knife with a steel hilt, the tip of blade emitted an emerald light as a single strip of Kryptonite lined the edges. Kara doubled over as she felt her powers being stripped from her being. Her lungs contracted as she fought against the only thing that could end her life. And for some reason, Astra showed no signs of being affected by the rare gem. In fact, she looked as if she were growing stronger from it. 

 

“Aunt Astra?” Kara choked, her features contorted in confusion and hurt. She tried to catch one of the patio chairs as she staggered helplessly, but failed and crumbled to the ground. 

 

Astra loomed over Kara and examined her weapon.“I must admit, that human of yours, Maxwell Lord, might be worth sparing. Such technology could preserve our race.” Astra stared at Kara with a coldness that the younger woman had never seen in her aunt before, not even in the short time that Astra had been on earth. It was as though every trace of the woman that she had grown up with had vanished. Vengeance seeped from her pores and pain laced every word that she uttered. “Then again, no human is worth the life of one of our own. You will do well to remember that.”  

 

Astra moved quickly, the tip of the blade aimed for the symbol across Kara’s chest. Cat tried to cry for help, to call out to Supergirl, but no sound escaped her lips. It all happened so fast, and yet for Kara, it seemed to last a lifetime. 

 

With the last ounce of strength that kept her grounded, Kara bit back the burning sensation that rippled through her being and thrust her arms out. She caught Astra wrist just as the knife grazed the dark “S” she wore with pride. She could the Kryptonite pulsing through the metal, like a flame against her skin. Her muscles weakening. Her senses dulling. 

 

Kara peered up at Astra with a pained expression, and for a moment a flash of admiration crossed Astra’s face. “You always were stubborn, Kara” she cooed, almost affectionately. “Just like Alura.” 

 

At the mention of her mother’s name, something inside Kara took hold of her. She was no longer battling against her aunt. The woman across from her, the woman with the streak of silver in her hair and hatred in her eyes, was a stranger. Someone Kara didn’t recognize. Someone Kara had no choice but to defeat. 

 

“You’re right,” Kara bit out as she struggled against the glowing emerald. “I am just like my mother. And I know she’d be proud of me. But you, Aunt Astra— you’re the one who should be ashamed of yourself. I know I am.” Her grip fighting around Astra’s arms, Kara felt herself rising to her full height; the burning lessened and she could see Astra clearly before her. 

 

Astra’s glare hardened as she attempted to overpower her niece. She pooled all of her power into the knife, certain she would come our victorious. “Goodbye, Little One,” she whispered as she gave it one last shove. 

 

“Kara!” 

 

A shot rang through the air. The sharp intake of breath— her last breath. Kara stumbled backwards and the knife clattered to the ground. She watched as Astra, her last living blood relative, fell to her knees, a hand clutched against her stomach. She heard the stampede racing through the offices of Cat Co., stood frozen as members of DEO, armed with Kryptonite-infused guns, surrounded Astra. 

 

“Supergirl!” Alex repeated the name three more times before her sister noticed her. “Supergirl, are you all right?” When all she received was a silent nod, Alex grabbed Supergirl by the shoulders and spoke deliberately. “I’ve got my men on Cat. They’re going to make sure she doesn’t say a word.” 

 

Cat. 

 

Kara whipped her head around and searched frantically for the blonde woman. In the sea of bulletproof vests and riot gear, she spotted the media mogul standing in the middle of her office, her arms crossed over her chest with an expectant expression. Cat, Kara realized, had seen everything. Had heard everything. Cat, Kara came to understand, was the one who called her name in what could have been her last moments. 

 

When Kara locked eyes with Cat, all she could do was nod. That’s all either of them could do. There was so much to talk about now, so much Kara desperately wanted to say. All that she’d been hiding had finally been revealed. Cat knew. She knew that Kara knew, that she knew. And as she stared across at Cat Grant, exhausted and weak after 17 hours of battle, Supergirl was able to breathe again-- now that the one woman who turned her world upside down was by her side.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kara has a nightmare. Cat is there to comfort her.

Kara’s eyes fly open. She jolts awake, drenched in her own sweat. Groans at the sharp pressure behind her eyes as they glow a bright red, hisses as she attempts to regain control. A gentle hand reaches for her, but to Kara, it’s no more than a slight tingle. It’s only when a light comes on that she remembers where she is— remembers who she’s with.

 

She feels movement beneath the covers beside her and listens as the sheets rustle slowly. Embarrassed, Kara avoids eye contact and looks to the clock at her bedside. It’s nearly three in the morning. In a city that never sleeps, she hears cars zoom down the street, flinches slightly at the loud honking. 

 

She waits for it to happen, for Cat to ask her about it. Cat always asks her about it. Every night for the past two weeks. But Kara never can tell her about it, doesn’t want to burden Cat, does her best not to worry the woman. She waits in silence. Counts the seconds as they turn into minutes. Wonders why Cat hasn’t spoken yet. 

 

Without warning, Cat throws the blanket off of herself. She stands up and disappears into the bathroom. A rush of water. The turning of a faucet. Cat soon returns with a glass, offers it to Kara with an assertive, but loving, “Here,” and takes her spot beside her. She sits against her pillow, her hands folded in her lap, and waits. 

 

“Thanks,” Kara finally murmurs after drinking the entire glass in one gulp. The pressure begins her eyes begins to fade and they’ve returned to their normal hazel tint. “I’m sorry about… this,” hums. “I can, um, go sleep in the guest room. You’ve got work in the morning and—“

 

“So do you,” Cat counters evenly.

 

“I’m not the CEO.”

 

“No, you’re not. But where do you think I’d be without you? You’re the only one who gets my coffee order correct.” Kara peers over at Cat with a sheepish expression, knows Cat is joking, but feels too guilty to laugh. “Will you tell me about it?”

 

Kara shrugs self-consciously and runs a finger around the rim of the glass. “Same as usual.” 

 

The journalist in Cat presses further. “Which would be?”

 

Under the intensity of Cat’s curious, yet caring, gaze, Kara takes a breath. “It’s the anniversary,” she says. “40 years since…” Kara looks away and it doesn’t take Cat long to put the pieces together. She’s suspected as much since the nightmares began, the timing had been too coincidental, but always assumed— always hoped Kara would be the one to confide in her. “Sometimes I dream that I’m still there, that I know and that I can’t do anything to stop it. I can’t save them.” 

 

“Your family,” Cat surmises. 

 

Kara looks at Cat for a moment and says, “Everyone.” She sets the cup on her nightstand and lays back against her pillows, mirrors Cat’s position. When Cat reaches for her hand, Kara feels a shock ripple through her body.

 

“Will you tell me about it?” Cat repeats her earlier question, only this time, it’s for both of their benefit. She thinks that if she knows more about where Kara comes from, she be a better support. That she can somehow take the pain away. She knows she’s not exactly renowned for her skills of compassion, that her style has always been to get the story and get out. But this is different. This is Kara. This is Supergirl; not the one she branded, the one she sleeps beside every evening.

 

“What do you want to know?” Kara wonders. 

 

Cat turns to Kara and grazes the woman’s cheek. “Everything.”

 

And so they sit, the two of them. Cat eventually flips the light back off, but they stay close to one another. She listens as Kara speaks of the animals and the plants on Krypton, of the magnificent buildings and beautiful parks. She can hear Kara smile when she talks about her parents and where they worked, where they spent their family time together. Eventually, Kara falls back asleep, curled into Cat’s side. By the time Cat’s eyes begin to close, it’s five o’clock. She’s already accepted the fact that she’s not going into the office today. Knows that today will be spent with Kara, listening to her, comforting her, loving her. Hopes that, perhaps tonight, Kara will be able to sleep peacefully once again. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Supergirl is MIA. Cat Grant isn't having it. Not at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the random switch from past to present tense. Since these are one-shot, I thought I'd experiment a bit with each chapter. Thanks for the lovely reviews so far!

Cat Grant stood behind her enormous desk and clenched a fist around the yellow stress ball Carter had given her. James Olsen, accompanied by a handful of nervous Cat Co. Worldwide employees waited in silence as their boss paced back and forth. All of the screens that outlooked her kingdom flashed images of various news outlets and anchors, each covering similar stories. 

 

_“This marks the third attack in six weeks and still, no sign of Supergirl.”_

 

_“After hours of touch-and-go, National City’s firefighters successfully extinguished the monstrous flames that engulfed the last remaining Lord Tower. The question everyone is asking here is: Where was Supergirl?”_

 

_“At 2:39 this afternoon, a semi-truck lost control and swerved over a cliff. First responders are still trying to rescue the driver. Supergirl, if you’re out there, we need your help.”_

 

When she couldn’t bear to hear any more, Cat angrily shut off all of the screens and tossed the plastic remotes onto the glass table; everyone except for her cringed at the sound. She rolled her shoulders back huffed impatiently. “It would seem that we have a problem,” she started flatly. “You, Timberlake. Can you tell me what’s wrong here?” A young man with blond highlights and brown roots looked up from his notepad. He opened his mouth to speak, but all that came out was a pathetic croaking. “How about you, Wizard of Oz?” The newest intern with a blue and white checkered jumper licked her lips and racked her brain for the right answer. “No one?” 

 

James, who had never been one to take pleasure in other people’ discomfort, boldly spoke up. “Supergirl.”

 

“What about her?” Cat pressed. “I’ll give you all a hint: what _isn’t_ she doing?” 

 

“Saving people?” a woman in a lavender sun dress guessed.

 

“Supergirl isn’t saving people,” Cat repeated rhythmically and as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “And why is that a problem?” she inquired. When no one could come up with anything, the curly-haired media mogul folded her arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes at her employees. “Cat Co. Worldwide branded Supergirl. She is our top story. If there’s no Supergirl, there’s no story. And if there’s no story— well, let’s just say, you’d have to start sending out your resumés.” 

 

Cat waved them off in dismissal and the group of staffers wasted no time in fleeing from the lion’s den. All except for one, that is. With one hand in his pocket and the other massaging the back of his neck, James waited until the door closed completely before approaching Cat.

 

“That was a lot, don’t you think?” the award-winning photographer wondered. “Most of those kids are new here. They’re already terrified of you.”

 

“Good,” Cat countered. “This isn’t kindergarten, Mr. Olsen. If they can’t handle a little pressure, then maybe this isn’t the business for them.” Resting upon her throne, she put on her glasses and turned to her computer.

 

Ever the risk-taker, James planted himself across from Cat, leaned against her desk, and lowered his voice. “She just needs some time. She’ll be back.”

 

“Of course she will,” Cat replied without missing a beat. “She has to.”

 

“I’m not talking about Supergirl,” James whispered. 

 

Looking up from her laptop and over at James, Cat locked eyes with him. “Neither am I.”

* * *

Cat worked late that night, at least three hours after everyone else had gone home. The sun had long since set and a full moon took its rightful place in the sky, surrounded by hundreds of twinkling stars. When she first moved to the city, she’d never seen such a brilliant scene in all of her life. Now, nearly two decades later, she found that she’d become rather jaded to it all. 

 

Alone and lonely, Cat opened the doors to the balcony. A cool evening in mid-September, the chilly breeze was the least of Cat’s concerns. Taking it one step at a time, she leaned against the hard boundary that separated her from the rest of the city and looked out at the street life blow. Cars zoomed past, honking ceaselessly and callously. People milled about the sidewalks, occasionally bumping into one another without so much as an apology. 

 

With a heavy sigh, Cat rolled her eyes and pressed her palms against the cold cement. “You’re late,” she stated flatly. “Tell me you have tomorrow’s headline.” Cat turned around slowly just as the woman with the red cape landed gracefully onto the stoop. Supergirl, hidden beneath the shadows, looked away from Cat. Her long, brown hair fell over her face as she peered down upon where she stood. She’d lost count of the times they’d met here, the times they’d convened in secret and shared pieces of themselves they’d never shared with anyone else.

 

“You shouldn’t be out here by yourself,” Supergirl said boldly.

 

Cat considered this briefly. “I was thinking something along the line’s of ‘Supergirl Lives.’ Even better, ‘Supergirl: A Coward No Longer.’ Or, are you still in hiding?”

 

“I’m not hiding,” the younger brunette said boldly.

 

With a dismissive scoff, Cat retorted, “Tell that to the semi-truck driver in the ICU.” A pang of guilt shot through Supergirl’s super-charged system as she thought back to the various cries for help she’d heard throughout her day. “He’s going to live, by the way,” Cat piped. “You know, it’s one thing to abandon your responsibilities as National City’s hero, it’s another to abandon your responsibilities as my assistant.” Doing her damnedest to keep her chilly exterior, Cat stepped forward until she too stood beneath the shadows, until she and Supergirl were less than two feet apart. “Do you know how many cups of cold coffee I’ve had to throw away? No one knows who I’m talking about or the number to Anderson’s assistant at CNN. I’m dealing with incompetence.”

 

Supergirl inhaled deeply. Her body tensed as she willed herself to look up at the one woman who could actually make her heart race even faster than it normally did. “I told you. I’m just trying to—“

 

“I know what you’re _trying_ to do.” Cat put her hands on her hips the way she did when she was growing impatient. “I have an entire company to run. I have an image to uphold. I don’t have the time to field calls from your sister who hasn’t heard from you in days. Now, I can bend the truth and I’m damn good at it, but you and I both know I need more to go on.” 

 

Her jaw set, clenched as if she were fighting back tears, Supergirl turned to skyline. “Don’t you ever just want to escape? To leave it all behind?” 

 

Cat scoffed. “Well of course I do. But then, who would TMZ gossip about?” Supergirl rested her arms on top of the concrete ledge, her hands folded together. Cat watched silently as Supergirl’s hair danced in the breeze, the way her eyes focused on everything but Cat. “You needed a break,” Cat began. “It’s understandable. What woman carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders wouldn’t? Even if you don’t break a sweat doing it?” Carefully, she took a few steps towards Supergirl, stood beside her and looked out at the city. “What you do, Kara, is more than anyone is expected to manage— human or Kryptonian. You’ve done more good in the last year and a half than most people do in their entire lives. You deserve a break. But you and I both know that what you do is bigger than yourself. Hell, it’s bigger than National City. And if you stop now, if you walk away… you may never forgive yourself.” 

 

As Cat stood beside Supergirl, as she waited for Supergirl to say something, she listened as Kara inhaled and exhaled in a rhythmic fashion. She knew very well that Kara didn’t particularly need to breathe, that she could survive without oxygen. She sensed that Kara made the effort simply for Cat’s benefit, to let her know that she heard her.

 

Supergirl felt Cat walk away and a shiver ran down her spine. She heard Cat’s heartbeat grow fainter. She instantly missed the woman’s warmth, the sound of her breathing. “Cat?” she said quietly, just as the woman had reached the door to her office. Turning slowly, Supergirl locked eyes with Cat. “You’re right. About everything.”

 

“Of course I am,” Cat said. 

 

Supergirl couldn’t help but smile at Cat’s confidence, the way she carried herself, even under the most tiresome of circumstances. Even when Supergirl was stubborn. “I think I’m ready.” 

 

One hand on her waist, Cat shifted and raised a curious brow. “For what?” 

 

Supergirl stole a final glance at the city behind her and finally allowed herself to hear the voices, the cries of excitement and the cries for help, before looking back at Cat; at the woman she’d missed, the one she hadn’t seen in weeks, hadn’t slept beside for far too long. “To come home.” 


End file.
